1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle accessories and to portable enclosures, and particularly to a removable enclosure for the rear of a vehicle that provides additional storage space or cover for the open rear end of a vehicle, such as an open tailgate of a pickup truck, the open hatch of a sports utility vehicle or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although enclosures for the bed of a pickup truck and the like are known, most such enclosures, particularly those adapted for providing temporary shelter while camping, are heavy rigid structures that are semi-permanently attached to the cargo box of the pickup truck. Thus, conversion between normal usage of the truck for transport of loads and the like and the shelter is inconvenient to the user. Such structures are also difficult to separately transport and store. Collapsible, rigid enclosures (i.e., so-called “pop-up” campers) have been provided that include rigid panels that fold into a relatively low profile for travel, and then unfold or pop up to form a camping enclosure. However, such rigid enclosures are extremely heavy, difficult to install on a pickup truck, difficult to remove from a pickup truck, and are relatively expensive.
There are numerous accessories that are especially adapted for use with a standard pickup truck, with the most common including bed liners, caps, tonneau covers, utility enclosures and camper bodies. The utility enclosure and the camper body involve structures that are intended to fit into the bed of the vehicle between the wheel wells, and provide access to the interior thereof via a door or doors at the rear end. The vehicle operator can enter the enclosure or camper body to obtain equipment or to eat or sleep as is necessary.
A camper body can be outfitted with all of the amenities of home, just like a travel trailer, although the interior is rather cramped and is best suited to one or two occupants at a time. A camper body is very heavy and a great deal of care must be exercised if one wants to remove the body from the bed of the truck so that the truck can be put to other uses. Similarly, a utility enclosure is quite heavy, and once it is inserted into the bed, it is likely that it will not be removed therefrom without there being a specific need to use the truck with its bed exposed. A utility enclosure is, in essence, a larger version of a truck cap, and it will usually be filled with tools and other equipment.
Soft enclosures, such as tents, that are mountable in the cargo box of a pickup truck have also been provided. Typically, these tents are limited in size to the length of the cargo box when the tailgate is in the vertical, or closed, position. Other tents have been provided that are partially attached to the cargo box and are partially attached to the ground. Such tents are quite complex and require a substantial amount of time and effort to erect. Moreover, these tents tend to become quite hot in direct sunlight and do not provide adequate shelter from rain and wind. Further, these tents do not provide adequate storage space.
There are numerous different types and styles of conventional campers. Examples of campers include the shell-style camper, which rests upon rear sidewalls of a pickup truck; the hard-walled camper which fits within the bed of a pickup truck; and flexible-walled camper systems, which utilize a tent or tent-like covering mounted upon a frame attached to the truck.
Conventional flexible wall camper units generally include a frame portion and a tent covering portion. The frame portion generally corresponds to a conventional tent frame, with tent pole members attached to the truck and generally oriented over the pickup truck bed. The tent covering may be of canvas, nylon, or similar material, and generally is spread over the tent frame to enclose the camper and truck bed.
Such conventional camper units are typically mounted in trucks, such as pickup trucks, which have a rear tailgate member that can be lowered to a position flush with the bed of the truck. Thus, the tailgate may be used to effectively extend the length of the bed beyond a rear bumper portion of the truck.
With conventional tent camper arrangements, there have been some problems with accommodating the tailgate. In some arrangements, the tailgate cannot be enclosed within the tent camper, so the ability of the tailgate to extend the length of the bed to make for more room is not utilized. In arrangements where the tailgate is enclosed within the tent, a complex frame system may be required and/or special attachment means mounted on the tailgate may be necessary in order to provide for secure engagement between the tent covering and the tailgate. Such systems may be relatively expensive, difficult to assemble or disassemble, may require special modifications to the truck, truck frame or body, and may be unattractive.
Another problem with such systems has been the general failure to provide an appropriate anchor point for securing the tent covering and frame. For a conventional tent mounted upon the ground, generally stakes and laterally extending lines, often referred to as guy-lines, are used to maintain tension on the frame of the tent, by placing tension on the tent covering or poles, to support the tent frame in an upright position and maintain same against strong winds or the like.
In conventional tent camper arrangements mounted upon truck beds, however, generally such guy-lines and stakes are undesired as they inhibit the ability to move the vehicle, even slightly, with the camper erected and, further, they prevent the camper unit from being used over hard surfaces, such as pavement, asphalt or firmly graded ground, where the driving of stakes would be difficult if not impossible. Generally, in the past, this has necessitated the development of complex frame systems, for use with such trucks, which are free standing in that they do not use guy-lines either attached directly to the frame or on the tent covering over the frame, for secure erection. Even conventional tent camper systems that have enclosed the tailgate therein have generally failed to utilize the tailgate as a laterally extended anchor point serving as a substitute for a guy-line and stake.
Devices that are secured to the rearward portion of motor vehicles for the purpose of recreational camping within the vehicles are known. However, such devices are typically difficult to transport and store, provide less than adequate protection from adverse weather conditions, are not easily installed on the vehicle, and require both modifications and additions to the vehicle. Additionally, such systems are not well adapted for multiple uses. For example, a tent designed for connection to a pickup truck typically is designed for single-person usage in a single environment, and could not be easily adapted to, for example, ice fishing or for providing protection for a dog. Additionally, such systems do not provide multiple functionality, being used for both storage and as an enclosure.
Thus, a removable enclosure for the rear of a vehicle solving the aforementioned problems is desired.